Barberry plant named ‘Talago’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Barberry  plant named ‘Talago’, characterized by its compact, low mounding and outwardly spreading plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and bushy growth habit; leaves that are initially orange red in color and become bright yellow in color with development; and leaves that have good resistance to sunburn.

Botanical designation: Berberis thunbergii.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Talago’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofBarberry, botanically known as Berberis thunbergii and hereinafterreferred to by the name ‘Talago’.

The new Barberry is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Flemington, W. Va. The objective of the breeding programwas to develop new compact and uniform Barberries with yellow-coloredleaves that are resistant to sunburn.

The new Barberry originated from a cross-pollination during the springof 1993 Barberry thunbergii ‘Aurea’, not patented, as the female, orseed parent and Barberry thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’, not patented as themale, or pollen, parent. The new Barberry was discovered and selected bythe Inventor in 1995 as a single plant within the progeny of the statedcross-pollination in a controlled environment in Flemington, W. Va.

Asexual reproduction of the new Barberry plant by softwood cuttings in acontrolled greenhouse environment in Flemington, W. Va. since the June,1999 has shown that the unique features of this new Barberry plant arestable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexualreproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Barberry have not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment and cultural practices such as temperature andlight intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Talago’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Talago’ as a new and distinct cultivar ofBarberry:

-   -   1. Compact, low mounding and outwardly spreading plant habit.    -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and bushy growth habit.    -   3. Leaves that are initially orange red in color and become        bright yellow in color with development.    -   4. Leaves that have good resistance to sunburn.

Plants of the new Barberry can be compared to plants of the femaleparent, ‘Aurea’. Plants of the new Barberry differ from plants of‘Aurea’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Barberry are more compact than plants of        ‘Aurea’.    -   2. Plants of the new Barberry are more mounding than plants of        ‘Aurea’.    -   3. Plants of the new Barberry are more resistant to sunburn than        plants of ‘Aurea’.

Plants of the new Barberry can be compared to plants of the male parent,‘Crimson Pygmy’. Plants of the new Barberry differ from plants of‘Crimson Pygmy’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Barberry are more compact than plants of        ‘Crimson Pygmy’.    -   2. Developing leaves of plants of the new Barberry are orange        red in color whereas developing leaves of plants of ‘Crimson        Pygmy’ are burgundy in color.    -   3. Fully expanded leaves of plants of the new Barberry are        bright yellow in color whereas fully expanded leaves of plants        of ‘Crimson Pygmy’ are burgundy in color.

Plants of the new Barberry can be compared to plants of the Berberisthunbergii ‘Aurea Nana’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisonsconducted in Flemington, W. Va., plants of the new Barberry differedfrom plants of ‘Aurea Nana’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Barberry were more compact than plants of        ‘Aurea Nana’.    -   2. Plants of the new Barberry were more mounding than plants of        ‘Aurea Nana’.    -   3. Plants of the new Barberry had shorter internodes than plants        of ‘Aurea Nana’.    -   4. Plants of the new Barberry had smaller leaves than plants of        ‘Aurea Nana’.    -   5. Plants of the new Barberry were more resistant to sunburn        than plants of ‘Aurea Nana’.

Plants of the new Barberry can also be compared to plants of theBarberry thunbergii ‘Monlers’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,577.In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Flemington, W. Va., plants ofthe new Barberry differed from plants of ‘Monlers’ in the followingcharacteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Barberry were more compact than plants of        ‘Monlers’.    -   2. Plants of the new Barberry were more mounding than plants of        ‘Monlers’.    -   3. Plants of the new Barberry had shorter internodes than plants        of ‘Monlers’.    -   4. Plants of the new Barberry had shorter leaves than plants of        ‘Monlers’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Barberry, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Barberry.

The photograph at the top of the sheet is a side perspective view of atypical plant of ‘Talago’ grown in an outdoor nursery.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet is a close-up view of typicalleaves of ‘Talago’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations, measurementsand values describe plants grown in Grand Haven, Mich. during the springto autumn in an outdoor nursery and under conditions which closelyapproximate commercial production. Plants had been growing for fiveyears when the photographs and the description were taken. In thedescription, color references are made to The Royal HorticulturalSociety Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Berberis thunbergii ‘Talago’.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Barberry thunbergii ‘Aurea’, not            patented.        -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Barberry thunbergii ‘Crimson            Pygmy’, not patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type.—By softwood cuttings.        -   Time to initiate roots.—About 25 days at 24° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About six months at            24° C.        -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; yellow-green to brown in            color.        -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense.-   Plant description:    -   -   Plant form and growth habit.—Perennial shrub. Compact, low            mounding and outwardly spreading plant habit; moderately            vigorous growth habit.        -   Branching habit.—Freely branching habit, dense and bushy            growth habit, lateral branches potentially forming at every            node; pinching is typically not required.        -   Plant height.—About 20 cm.        -   Plant diameter (area of spread).—About 47 cm.-   Lateral branch description:    -   -   Length.—About 15 cm.        -   Diameter.—About 2 mm to 3 mm.        -   Internode length.—About 4 mm to 5 mm.        -   Aspect.—About 30° to 45° from vertical.        -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.        -   Color, young.—Close to 144B.        -   Color, fully developed.—Close to 177A.        -   Thorns.—Quantity/arrangement: About one at each node.            Length: About 5 mm. Width: About 0.5 mm. Color, young: Close            to 144B. Color, fully developed: Close to 177A.-   Foliage description:    -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.        -   Length.—About 1.7 cm.        -   Width.—About 1.1 cm.        -   Shape.—Spatulate.        -   Apex.—Obtuse.        -   Base.—Attenuate.        -   Margin.—Entire.        -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Smooth, glabrous.        -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.        -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper and lower surfaces: Close to            33A tinted with close to 151B. Fully expanded leaves, upper            and lower surfaces: Close to 151C; in the shade, tinted with            close to 144B; venation, similar to surface color.        -   Petiole.—Length: About 4 mm. Diameter: About 1 mm. Texture,            upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper and            lower surfaces: Close to 151A; in the shade, tinted with            close to 144B.-   Flower description: Flower development has not been observed on    plants of the new Barberry. Seeds/fruits: Seed and fruit development    have not been observed on plants of the new Barberry plant.-   Garden performance: Plants of the new Barberry have been observed to    have excellent garden performance and to tolerate rain, wind and    temperatures ranging from about −27° C. to about 37° C.-   Pathogen/pest resistance: Plants of the new Barberry have not been    shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Barberry.

1. A new and distinct Barberry plant named ‘Talago,’ as illustrated anddescribed.